Crows’ shadow’s in the dark

Adelaide Crows coach Brenton Sanderson says there are several candidates to take over Nathan van Berlo's role in the team. Picture: Michael Dodge. Source: Getty Images

NATHAN van Berlo's captaincy duties at Adelaide have fallen to two colleagues - and his brief as the Crows' preferred tagger or defensive midfielder will be spread to at least three.

While coach Brenton Sanderson has proudly thrust Rory Sloane and Patrick Dangerfield into the public glare of leading an AFL club, he is keeping his master plan to cover van Berlo's absence as a tagger in the dark.

MORE: WHAT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY WISH, COACH?

And Sanderson also remains reluctant to push as an imperative the ultra-defensive tactic of playing a shadow in his midfield rotations.

Asking who inherits van Berlo's challenge of countering the opposition's most-effective player draws from Sanderson the response: "It is a good question.

"There's probably a couple of guys who can play that role, but we don't have to play with a midfield tag either.

"With 21 days until we play Geelong (in the premiership season-opener on March 20 at Simonds Stadium), that's an area we'll have to discuss as a match committee - how we use that role and who we run-with if we decide to run with someone."

Sam Kerridge, Mitch Grigg and Matthew Wright appear the most likely candidates for van Berlo's role as a defensive midfielder. But Sanderson questions the need for a tagger in every game and every midfield set-up.

"Sometimes (a tagger) can upset your structures," Sanderson said.

Brenton Sanderson discusses his side's dominant final quarter performance to seal a come-from-behind win over Carlton.

"When you look at our midfield, if we play Dangerfield, Sloane and Scott Thompson - then running with someone means one of those gets squeezed out. That can affect your structure.

"It depends on what you are trying to achieve from stoppage situations - and what you want your centre bounce to look like.

"Other sides tag from outside the (centre) square. Those are the strategies we are trying to work through and find what works for us.

"Nathan (van Berlo) has had four, five years of being great at doing that (shadowing) for us. But we don't always have to replace Nathan with another van Berlo. We can look for different ways to do it."

MORE: TEX WALKER'S RECOVERY 'ABSOLUTELY FLYING'

Adelaide closes its pre-season campaign against Greater Western Sydney at Bankstown next Friday.

The only injury note from Monday's NAB Challenge win against Carlton, key forward James Podsiadly (hip) remains in consideration for his third trial game of the summer.

You're reading an article about
Crows’ shadow’s in the dark
This article
Crows’ shadow’s in the dark
can be opened in url
http://aflnewstop.blogspot.com/2014/02/crowsa-shadowas-in-dark.html
Crows’ shadow’s in the dark